Greasy是油膩的意思, spoon是指調羹,也就是湯勺。Greasy和spoon這兩個字合在壹起就是指那些有點像夫妻老婆店那樣的小飯館。這些小飯館壹般來說菜譜上花色品種並不多,碗筷也好像不那麽幹凈,裝潢也不講究,但是菜的味道倒不錯,價錢也很公道。
Ex1: Honey, let me take you out to dinner. But you know I don't feel like dressing up to go some place fancy. How about just going down the street to the greasy spoon and getting hamburgers?
(丈夫：親愛的,讓我帶妳去外面吃晚飯吧。不過,我實在不想穿得必恭必敬的去那些大飯館。咱們就上街那頭那個小飯館去吃漢堡包怎麽樣?)
Ex2: Mike, you ought to try the potstickers at that little Chinese joint on New York Avenue. It looks like a greasy spoon but the potstickers are great and the price is cheap.
(麥克,妳得上紐約大街那個中國小飯館去嘗嘗他們的鍋貼。那飯館看起來不像樣,可是他們的鍋貼味道真好,價錢又便宜。)
Potluck
Pot的意思是鍋子, luck是運氣。可是,我們現在講的 potluck 是壹個字。 Potluck 作為壹個字,它指的是美國壹種經常舉行的聚會形式。也就是在某壹個人,或幾個人的提議下舉行壹個午餐會或晚餐會,但是參加聚會的每個人都要帶壹個菜或者帶壹種飯後甜食。主人除了為聚會提供場地外,也只要準備壹個菜,或買壹些飲料就行了。這就叫作: Potluck lunch or potluck supper.可以想象,舉行Potluck的時候,大家能夠嘗到許多不同的食品。可是,要是妳運氣不好,好幾個人帶的東西妳都不愛吃的話,那妳就只好回家去那個greasy spoon吃點兒什麽了。
Ex1: I've been so busy lately. Last week I went to a greasy spoon with a friend and this Sunday I've got to go a potluck.
(我最近可忙了。上個周末我和壹個朋友去壹家小飯館吃飯,這個星期天我得做壹個菜去參加壹個聚會。)
Potluck還有另外壹個意思。那就是:有什麽就要什麽。用在吃的方面就成了:有什麽吃什麽的意思。
Ex2: Say, Charley, if you don't have plans for tonight, why don't you come out to our house and have a potluck with us? Helen won't have time to cook anything special, but she can put an extra plate on the table for you.
(餵，查理，妳要是晚上沒事就上我家來吃便飯。有什麽吃什麽。我太太不壹 定有什麽時間做什麽菜，但是多加壹份筷子是絕對沒有問題的。)